Mason and the Lanterns
by Alika-kaye
Summary: Written by Alex, (Friend of account owner) All of the guardians know the Man in the Moon. But the question is, how exactly did he obtain this position? Who is he, really? A story about Mason, and how he lit the sky. (Bad summary. It's my first story, so comments, even negative, would be really helpful! I know there is a story for him in the books, but here's my take! Thanks!)


From a very young age, people everywhere are naturally fearful of the dark. They question what could be hiding in the shadows, they worry that something could be lurking around every dim corner, when the sun vanishes below the horizon. That's how it's always been. Since the very beginning, people knew to be careful when darkness came.

They knew to be fearful.

"Mason, are you almost done with those tools? We have to have them finished by sun down! The warriors need them to fight off the wolves at night... And we need to do repairs on the western gate!" A man, about thirty years old, stood towering over a boy who looked to be about nineteen. He had light blond hair, and light skin, but he seemed darker because of the sweat and grime that covered him.

"I'm almost done, Father. I just have to do the finishing touches, and they'll be ready to go." He said, light brown eyes not looking away from his work. He lifted a large, stone hammer once more, bringing it down with a clang onto a newly crafted sword, evening out the surface.

"Almost isn't good enough, boy. You should be done by now. If you can't finish your work, you'll be punished for it. I gave you your name for a reason. So that you would know your place." His father growled.

Mason's hammer clattered to the ground, and he stood, bowing at the waist to his father. "I apologize, Father! I'm working as hard as I can! I worked through breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm trying!" He said, voice breaking.

"Do not cry. Get back to work. I'll deal with you later, you good for nothing child." With that, his father took the rest of the tools Mason had made for the day, which included fourteen hammers, a set of over two hundred nails, and twenty swords.

Mason was silent for a moment, before he abandoned the single unfinished sword on his anvil and walked out of the smithing room. His hands were scarred and rough, his feet bare. He wore a simple, dirty cloak of grey fabric, that had once been white.

He saw his father talking to the mayor in the main room of the house, which was made of wooden planks, stone, and brick, furnished finely in gold and full of expensive, gem lined pottery. His older brother, Marcus, was also there. His brother was the first born son. The future man of the house. The one who would inherit everything. While Mason was named for the Masonry he would do for the family, and the village, for the work he would perfrom every day for the rest of his life, Marcus was named for The Market Place. He was the one who would surpass their father and become the next most wealthy merchant.

Marcus would always be the man, and Mason would always be the child. Mason would work himself to the bone everyday, so that his Father could sell what he made and keep the village supplied, taking the credit for Mason's work. Eventually his Father would die, and Marcus would take his place and Mason would be his 'property' instead. Mason was more slave than brother or son. He always thought it was because of how he'd come to live with his 'family'. He'd been born from the same mother as Marcus, but not from the same man. His mother was long dead, and had been the only one to ever show him any kindness.

"Excuse me Father?" Mason said quietly, sticking to the corners of the room. His father turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, Mason?" He asked, voice flat and demanding.

"I was hoping to ask for your permission to go out." Mason requested, once again bowing to his own Father.

"Where do you wish to go?"

"I hope to request your permission to go to the lake and bathe. I've been working all day, and don't wish to bring dirt into your home." Mason eplxained.

"Go then, Boy." His father waved him away.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you Sir." Mason left the house, but before he closed the door, heard his father talking to the mayor.

"Like him being here isn't the same as having dirt in my home... Damnable bastard child." His father muttered. The mayor laughed.

He closed the door quietly behind him, slipping away towards the lake with his clean cloak in his arms.

The sun would go down soon. Already it had begun to set, casting long shadows and tinging the sky a light pink-orange. The small lake near the village, behind the trees but still enclosed within the village gates. He removed his clothing, stepping into the water and rubbing the dirt off his skin with a clean rag. This part of the lake, of course, was fenced off from the girl's section.

After cleaning himself up, he looked up at the sky, floating on his back. The moon hung above him, it's dim light barely giving off any brightness at all. The stars twinkled. After a moment, he registered it.

_Wait... Moon... Stars... Hell! It's late! _With that thought, he flung himself from the water, dried himself off, and threw his new white cloak on over light cotton pants.

"Father will have my head for this..." He sighed, running to the center of the village. The warriors were already posted around the village gates, the women gathered in a circle in the center of the village square, around a large statue of the nature godess, The Earth Mother, praying for the continued safety of the village, praying that they wouldn't be attacked by wild animals, other villages, or any of the other dangers that hid themselves within the darkness.

"Excuse me, Miss Mira?" He asked, tapping the spiritual cheif of the village on the shoulder. "I'm working with the children again tonight, correct?" The village usually put him in charge of guarding the Children at night- the other warriors scared them. The children of the village all slept in a big, one room stone building at night to ensure none were lost.

"Yes, boy. Now go do your job, and protect the young ones. I must remain here and lead the women in prayer." She said, smiling softly. "I have seen many strange omens today... I fear for the safety of the village, and must ask the Erth Mother to guide us and protect us." The woman said, smiling softly.

"Yes Miss Mira. Thank you. And good luck." Mason said, smiling back. He ran off to sit outside of the Childrens Sleeping House, struggling to stay awake until it was time to switch shifts, even though he;d worked all day.

He had only closed his eyes for a second, and the next thing he knew, the gates on the far side of the village were burning. He leaped to his feet, checked the kids, and ran back to the door, unsure of what he should do. His father and other villagers ran by with pails of water. His father stopped just long enough to scold him.

"Idiot boy! If the gate burns, we're defenseless! Get a move on!"

"But, I can't leave the kids-"

"I SAID LETS GO."

Mason, after hesitating only a moment, ran after his father.

It had taken two hours to put the fire out. They'd managed to hold the fire back, with minimum damage to the gates. But the one, unanswered question, was... Who had set fire to the gates? Everyone wondered why someone had done it. An enemy village usually gave it their all in one attack, leaving nothing to chance. The general idea was that it must have been a distraction... but from what?

Mason had twisted his left wrist while trying to help put the fire out, and he limped slightly. His body was strained and tired. But he made his way back to the Childrens Sleeping House, sighing as he walked into the door, lantern in his right hand.

"It's alright, kids. We put the fire out. Nobody was hurt, oka-" He dropped the lantern.

All of the children, the ones he should have been protecting, were gone. Someone had led them out of the village, while everyone was focused on the fire.

He ran and told the mayor what had happened, along with the rest of the villagers. Fathers yelled in anger, threatening Mason. Mothers screamed and sobbed, asking why he had abandoned the children. The villagers knew what happened to children who became lost on the Outside. In the darkness. They would wander, never to be seen again. Nobody in the village had come back after being lost without a light in the dark.

"Stop-" He tried to speak over the looming crowd. "Listen to me- Please, let me speak!" He begged as a man threw a stone at him. He let it hit him. He deserved it.

Suddenly, an old woman with gray hair stood in front of him.

"Stop." Miss Mira's voice boomed, as she threw her arms around Mason, sheilding him from the rocks the villagers had begun to pick up. They all froze.

"I saw what transpired here today. Mason is not only at fault. It was everyone's fault. The children are the responsibilities of everyone of us. So what matters now is not punishment, but finding the Lost Ones." She said, voice calm. "Who among us is willing to go into the darkness and find the children? There are six of them missing."

Nobody stepped up.

"You all judge this mere boy, who joined you in fighting the fire, when you yourselves are not man enough to save them!" Mira yelled.

"I...Miss Mira, I'll go. I'll go save them." Mason said, disentangling himself from the old woman's protective arms. "I'll take lanterns with me and help the kids find the way back." Mason said finally.

"Boy, that's a lovely thought, and you're braver than all of us... but you're injured. You can barely walk. You've worked hard today, and I'm not sure you would make it back. Go to your home and rest- We will sort this matter out from here."

Mason was sent home. But he didn't stay there. He knew they would be too late when they finally decided on a plan. So he went to his workshop, took six lanterns, and slipped away to the Western gate. It had to be where the children had gone. It was the only other exit to the village, and someone would have seen if there were children by the Eastern gate while it was burning.

He carried five lanterns in a sack attached to a pole on his back so he could relax his left wrist, and held one in his right hand as he walked away from the village and into the dense, dark woods.

He walked for an hour before he found the first child, half a mile away from the village.

It was one of the younger ones. The youngest children had probably not gotten as far away from the village. He gave the small brown haired girl a lantern, and smiled. "Pipa, go that way. Follow the moon, and it will lead you home." He said. The girl smiled and ran off after hugging him.

The next one he found was a large but young girl. Her name was Cina, after a soft pastery made of cinammon and dough that the villagers liked to eat on holidays. He sent her off as well.

Next were two boys, Monty, and Claud.

Then, almost two miles away, another boy, Caleb.

And then the oldest of the boys, Jamie.

By the time he reached Jamie, he was three miles away from the village, and feeling extremely tired and weak. His whole body hurt.

Jamie was almost fourteen years old, and Mason had always wondered who he would become when he grew up. He knew the boy had a bright future, no matter what. Even if not in this life, he would be blessed in the next. He stumbled over to the boy, a soft smile still on his face. "Jamie! There you are!" He said, voice slightly wavering.

"Mason! I knew it! I knew you'd come! Did you find the others? We got split up." Jamie said, hugging Mason's waist.

"Yeah, I found them. I sent them back to the village. You have to go too, okay? Just walk that way- I left a trail of stones." Mason instructed, handing him the lantern.

"Okay-...Wait, aren't you gonna come with?" Jamie asked, face falling.

"Oh, um... I'm just gonna sit down for a second. I'll meet you at the village, okay? I just need a break. I've got another lantern in my bag." He lied. He'd forgotten to bring a lantern for himself. He was too weak to walk quickly, and he knew that the lantern oil wouldn't last if he went along with Jamie.

"Oh! Okay. See ya later, Mason! Thanks for saving me!" Jamie said, happily running back towards the village.

Mason kept smiling until he was out of sight.

He then collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. From his sack, he withdrew what he'd told Jamie was a lantern. It was the unfinished sword he'd been working on when his father had interrupted.

As soon as the light was gone, he heard the panting of wolved all around him.

They had been waiting for darkness to return. He fought them off as they pounced, struggling, fighting for his life. In the end, they gave up, deciding he wasn't easy enough prey, and left him exhaughsted and defeated. He lay on the ground, staring up at the dimness of the moon.

_You know... If only the moon was a little brighter... We wouldn't need lanterns... of fire... No child would ever be lost in the darkness again... Everyone would be safe...And happy... _He thought, giving a weak chuckle. _I saved the children... From the Darkness... I guess that makes me a man now, huh? But now that I've finally become a man, I'm going to die alone in the dark... Well, not all alone. I have the moon, at least... Just a man and the moon... After a day like today... I don't think I'd be able to go back to living under Father or Brother... Today, I've... I've changed...I guess today is... A good day to die...This is a good way to die... _He thought, eyes fading. _But if the moon was just a little brighter...People wouldn't be afraid anymore... Kids like Jamie would be safe..._

That Night, Under the full Moon, Mason died. But that was also the night the moon began to truly shine. That was the night Mother Earth honored a man for his selflessness, his bravery, and his honor. After that night, children all over the world were less afraid of the dark- they knew someone was guarding them.

**That was the Night The Man In The Moon Was Born.**


End file.
